This invention relates generally to locks and more specifically to locks used on spare tires of vehicles.
Unfortunately, theft of valuable spare tires is a pervasive problem. For example, it is not uncommon for dealers of vehicles, such as pick-up trucks, to have many spare tires stolen from the vehicles while they are parked in the dealer's lot. Also, private owners of vehicles experience similar problems.
It is particularly desirable to provide a means for locking the spare tire (and corresponding wheel) to prevent theft. It is also desirable to provide a device which can be added to already manufactured vehicles without modification to the vehicle.
Various devices have been developed to lock spare tires into place. For example, my previous patent, U.S. pat. No. 4,526,021 to Princell, is one such device in which rotation of the shaft which allows the spare tire to be hoisted down is prevented. Another such locking device is disclosed by Kuhns U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,264. Other wheel locking devices include ones disclosed by U.S. pat. No. 1,635,229 to Sokolov which has a bent shaft conforming to the camber of the wheel shape; Trautner U.S. Pat. No. 1,912,872 , disclosing a lock which seals over the outside of a nut and which includes a washer-like member disclosed in FIGS. 6 and 7; and Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 1,545,902 which has a metal block lock which locks around an armored cable having a plurality of recesses therein. Other locking devices have been provided which have a shaft protruding through the axle hub hole of the wheel, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,807,204to Cucheran, 3,431,756to Fennell , and 3,884,057to Maurer . Furthermore, spare tire locks are provided through lug holes in the wheel, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,790012to Hrivnyak , and 4,282,995 to Austin. Waling U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,731 discloses a nut covering lock for spare tires.
While each of these devices provides certain advantages, none of them provide the same advantages in the same way as the present invention. The present invention provides a simple and relatively inexpensive yet secure method and device for locking a spare tire. The present invention is especially well-suited to lock spare tires on the undercarriages of vehicles, raised and lowered by a winch mechanism, such as on pick-up trucks, and also has other applications. The present invention may be utilized in an originally manufactured vehicle design, yet may also be readily adapted to already existing vehicles without modification. The present invention also provides for a quiet, virtually rattle-free spare tire lock.